First Week of School and Lucuma Ice Cream

On Monday I started my official first day of school at the Universidad de Chile. Never again will I say anything bad about the University of California. Here at the Universidad de Chile, you do not know where your classes are until you arrive at your prospective facultad (campus) for the first day of school. At each facultad, the classroom numbers/locations are posted on a bulletin board on the first floor. I know this is not terrible but all of the UC kids were flipping out the night before because we did not know about this board containing all the classroom information. My week only got better from here. I had two classes where the professors did not show up; apparently this is a pretty common because most people from the EAP program had the same experience/lack of class on the first day. In addition, some of the professors also like to switch classrooms and not tell anyone. At La Chile (the nickname of the university) and all other universities in Chile, textbooks are supplemented by photocopies because books are very expensive. There are two fotocoperias where students can buy photocopies of readings at relatively inexpensive prices. Right now, AHHHHHHHHH!! is written all over my notebook. Unfortunately, it just occurred to me this week that I am a foreign exchange student.

Also, on a happier, more delicious note, I tried lucuma ice cream and I like this flavor of ice cream as much as I like chocolate (what's even better is if you get them both together). Lucuma is a type of fruit grown in Peru and Chile. In Peru, this flavor of ice cream is more popular than chocolate, strawberry and vanilla. Anyway! I researched it and Mitchell's ice cream in San Francisco sells lucuma ice cream so if you are by Mitchell's, you should stop by and try it! It's really good!!

Words of the day: estudiante extranjero: foreign exchange student, cuaderno=notebook, echar de menos=to miss (Por ejemplo, yo echo de menos burritos= I miss burritos), helado=ice cream

Siete Tazas

On Friday morning, six girls and I traveled to the Siete Tazas, a series of waterfalls in the cordillera. We met at the bus stop and caught a bus to Curicó, a city about three hours south of Santiago. Traveling around Chile by bus is relatively inexpensive; round trip from Santiago to Curicó only cost about $10. In order to get to Las Siete Tazas from Curicó, we took a thirty minute bus ride to Molina, a small town that serves as the jumping off point to the Radal Siete Tazas National Reserve. At 5:00pm, we boarded a packed bus and started to head up the mountain. There were not enough seats for everybody so we stood up for the majority of the bumpy, two hour bus ride on a dirt road. The bus driver dropped us off at a hostel located about 7 kilometers from the National Park.  

Our lodging was basically a cardboard box located on the owner’s property. This is one of the owner's two horses roaming around outside our cardboard box. 

Saturday morning we set out for the Siete Tazas. Along the way we passed by a waterfall called “El Velo de la novia” or the veil of the bride. The water was clearer and bluer than Lake Tahoe...very pretty! 

About 4 kilometers from El Velo de la novia, we arrived at the Park. Foreigners have to pay 3.000 Chilean Pesos or approximately $6 U.S. dollars but we convinced the park ranger to let us in for the normal Chilean price of 1.500 Chilean Pesos or $3 U.S. dollars.

“Siete Tazas” is literally translated to seven cups. Over time, the river Claro carved the seven cups/pools, all connected by waterfalls.

Universidad de Chile starts tomorrow and right now, I'm choosing between two Spanish literature classes and an environmental policy class. Instead of listing in the course catalog where the classes are going to held, you have to go ask the secretary at each individual college where your classrooms are located. Tomorrow should be interesting to say the least. Anyway, I hope it's sunny and warm wherever you are! 

Words of the day: pierda=rock, el medio ambiente=environment, casada=waterfall

Valparaiso

This weekend, I traveled to Valparaiso, a city carved into the the hilly terrain of Chile's coast. Located approximately two hours from Santiago, Valparaiso was once South America's major Pacific sea port. However, after the opening of the Panama Canal, ships no longer needed to go around the Cape of Good Hope to get to the Pacific/Atlantic Ocean. As a result, the economy of the city collapsed in the early 1900's but today, it has recovered much of it's shipping business in addition to being a major tourist destination in Chile. 

In order to reach the neighborhoods and residential areas located in the cliffs above the city (in Spanish, barrios), you have to take an elevator (ascensor). There are about fourteen elevators or funiculars located throughout the city in various neighborhoods. The elevators reminded me of the Big Dipper in Santa Cruz.

I visited the Naval and Maritime Museum. The following picture shows the uniforms of the Chilean sailors during the 1800's. I think this will be my inspiration for a Halloween costume come October. 

The view from the Naval and Maritime Museum of Valparaiso.

One of Pablo Neruda's three houses is located in Barrio Bellavista in Valparaiso, called La Sebastiana. Neruda certainty had a good eye for property, this is the view from the study where he wrote many of his poems.

Cerro San Cristobal

This Sunday, a group of EAP students and I climbed up San Cristobal, the highest view point in all of Santiago. The guard at the bottom told us that it would only take an hour to climb up the mountain. Two and a half hours later, we made it to the top in time for a colorful sunset. The hike was approximately 5 kilometers, almost 3.3 miles.

In this picture, you can clearly see the layer of smog that constantly covers Santiago....gross!

The majestic snow capped Andes. Jack and Esther, maybe you could take a trip down to teach me how to ski. 

Words of the Day: ola=wave, terremoto (also, temblor)=earthquake,

Also! In honor of Alexis's wedding coming up, here are some family/wedding vocab so all the O'Briens can speak Spanish at the church and at the reception. 

sobrina/sobrino=niece/nephew, abuelo/abuela=grandpa/grandma, tio/tia=uncle/aunt, primo/prima=cousin, nieto/nieta=grandson/granddaughter, suegro/suegra=father-in-law, mother-in-law, nuero/nuera=son-in-law/daughter-in-law

boda=wedding and finally, somos familia=we are family

La Católica

This is a picture at La Católica, the university where I go to school for the Language Immersion Program. There is a major rivalry between La Chile (the main public university) and La Católica (the private and Catholic university). La Católica has a reputation for being "cuica" or snobby as more students from the middle and upper classes attend this university.

First Week of School

Before the University of California students are mainstreamed into the Chilean universities, we enroll in a three week Language Immersion program (ILP) at the Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile. Yesterday, I completed my first full week of school here...Great Success! In the ILP, we watch cultural and historical movies about Chile, learn new vocabulary words, perfect grammar, practice conversational skills in addition to learning about Chilean history, politics and culture. In Chile, there are three different types of evaluation, control which is the equivalent to a quiz, prueba (a test) and finally, examen, (a final). The weather down here is very similar to the winter in Davis and it has been pretty chilly (no pun intended) the last two weeks. 

As a result of Santiago’s rapid economic development over the last ten/fifteen years, there are major concerns regarding air quality of the area. The pollution is trapped by the gigantic Andes mountain range often making it hard to exercise outside. According to a health study, the high levels of air pollution often exceed the guidelines as suggested by the World Health Organization. However, this week it rained on and off for two days, greatly improving the air quality. 

Gladyis, the mother of my host family, was telling me that there is a lot of discrimination against the Peruvians that come into Chile looking for work. The Chilean economy has experienced the most growth in South America in recent years and as a result, many Peruvians come to Chile looking for work.

To celebrate the 4^th of July, a group of students from the Education Abroad Program got together and we played a soccer game. It was hard to transition back to soccer after playing rugby for two years and once or twice, I had to remind myself not to tackle the person with the ball. Anyway, I hope wherever you are, you are having a Happy 4^th of July!

Words of the day: Deportes=sports, hace frío=it’s cold, sol=sun